Flexicord takes an unusual approach to managing cables: it ships in a coiled form, but "remembers" the shape you stretch it into (rather like the bendy toys of my childhood). End result? Once cables are positioned, they won't move, but a protective layer ensures data isn't corrupted and wires don't snap. The one in the shots (shown off at the CES Unveiled event this week) is an HDMI cable, but what I'd really like is the USB model for my home office. It's only a prototype for now (commercial release is scheduled for later this year), but a useful option to bear in mind for future cable management projects.

USB 3.0 will be unveiled next Monday, and so far the new specs for the protocol look incredible, promising 25GB transfers in a mere 70 seconds. To put that in perspective, the same transfer would take 13.9 minutes with the current USB 2.0 protocol and 9.3 hours on USB 1.0. Looks like the future of wired syncs and backups is bright and blazing. [via Gizmodo]

Windows and Linux only: Free bootable image creator UNetbootin automates the downloading, imaging, and installing of Linux distributions onto USB thumb drives, creating a persistent, boot-anywhere desktop. We've previously featured rather involved guides to putting Linux on a flash drive, but UNetbootin does it all for you, from downloading the right ISO to setting up a USB stick as a bootable Linux drive. It can also convert almost any bootable ISO, so if you've got an old, smaller thumb drive not seeing much use these days, you can use UNetbootin to install a partition editor, a file-recovering live CD, or the Windows password-cracking Ophcrack. UNetbootin is a free download for Windows XP and higher and Linux systems.

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Windows only: Free thumb drive utility Portable Start Menu is a handy, multi-function tool for anyone who uses a USB drive to launch portable applications. The program can search out and find any self-running .exe file on a thumb drive and add it to a start menu that sits in the Windows system tray while the USB drive is plugged in. The app also has a "Quick Start" function that you can access with a shortcut to launch any program, and Portable Start Menu can create its own AutoRun file to have it launch once it's plugged in. Portable Start Menu is a free download for Windows systems only.

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Windows only: Let's say you've put together a killer USB PC repair kit filled to the brim with antivirus, file recovery, and adware removal tools, but shortly after you plug your thumb drive into the infected machine—in the midst of your repair—your thumb drive is affected as well. Freeware portable application Thumbscrew protects your thumb drive from being written to so that your data remains safe no matter where it's plugged in. Even if you don't need it for PC repair purposes, it could still prove useful for keeping your files safe from the kids or something else along those lines. Thumbscrew is freeware, Windows only.

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VirtualBox makes virtual installations of Windows and other operating systems easier than you'd think in Linux (as mentioned in our second look at Ubuntu 8.04, "Hardy Heron"), but the key missing feature from its free, open-source edition is USB support. Your iPod need not feel shunned from Linux land any longer, however, as the Ubuntu Unleashed blog offers step-by-step instructions on installing and configuring VirtualBox with support for plug-in devices. It's specific to the newest Ubuntu and a little bit more than the "five easy steps" promised, but it should only take a few minutes to unlock the bridge between your system-in-a-system and all your gadgets.

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For whatever reason, the "Safely Remove Hardware" dialog always seems a bit less than convenient to get to for me—mine is usually hidden behind that expanding arrow, and clicking through all the right menus when I just want to yank the cord is a bit tiring. The How-To Geek has a salve for impatient folks like myself: A hot-key-assignable shortcut to the full menu, with a "Stop" button close at hand. For those handy with shortcuts, here's where you should point one:

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Windows only: If you find yourself ejecting a number of USB devices before shutting down, or if you're just tired of clicking through warnings and messages from Windows' default device removal tool, USB Disk Ejector might be worth checking out. The free stand-alone application does what its name implies, and can do it with a double-click from a window or can be set up to run from the Windows command line. If you frequently eject the same devices over and over, you could set up USB Disk Ejector as a command prompt shortcut to quietly remove devices with a single double-click. USB Disk Ejector is a free download for Windows systems only.